In one of my earlier post, I mentioned that my mom started growing her own snakebean plant from a seed of my previous snakebeans. On its own, the snakebean plant has taken up quite abit of space in the back balcony.
To date, her sole snakebean plant reaped 11 snakebeans with more to come. It has been flowering regularly and we have had 3 plates of stir fried snakebeans from her 1 lone plant already. We have quite abit of fun looking out for baby snakebeans that pop up overnight after the flowers drop off. Can you spot 5 snakebeans in this picture?
Yield from my previous 5 snakebean plants = 4 snakebeans
Yield from my mom’s 1 snakebean plant = 11 snakebeans & more to come
Growing up in a kampung (Malay word for village) in Perak, Malaysia, my mom certainly has the knack for growing stuff and will tell me stories of how delicious her grandmother’s snakebeans were. I am very proud of my mom’s snakebeans but am sad to say that I didn’t inherit this gift of growing stuff from her. Sheesh, her snakebean statistics puts me to shame man.
Though after my observation, there are some things that I can learn from her:
1. Do not be greedy and overcrowd my plants. Unhappy plants translate into a low yield.
2. Just let my plants be. Do not stare at them incessantly and or interfere with their growing path.
3. Be patient. In growing, “om” is the right word. The more I stare, the longer it seems to take.
“OOOOOOMMMMMMMM…..”
6 comments
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August 6, 2008 at 9:03 am
Margo
Ommmmm….
*hee hee*
Seriously, though, some of that is also going to be a sunlight thing: location on the balcony, time of year (even at the equator), as well as soil content. Keep growing things!!!
August 6, 2008 at 11:31 am
lily
Hello,
Seems like the same case with me. You can try growing vegies that comes with the root and discarded by the market people like watercress and siao bai chai.
Now I am growing watercress using the part which have little roots growing out of its stem. My mom used the top part to cook and I take the lower part and stick it inside the soil inside the pot.
Now little shoots are emerging from the watercress shoot I planted and I only water them like once a day. They need moist soil not too wet and too hot. I place them in shady place over the balcony.
August 7, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Wilson Wong
Hi Teresa,
Margo is right. Sometimes we take the sunlight factor for granted but it is perhaps the most important determining factor that decides whether we fail or succeed in growing some plants at our balconies.
Wilson
May 28, 2009 at 12:28 am
movie
very nice . good idea.
September 4, 2009 at 10:51 am
Green Blog
I know exactly how you feel! My Mother in law has green fingers and thumbs, her yard is just an explosion of green, tomatoes, grapevines, green onions etc. My wife and I have so far grown a couple of small limes and a jalapeno, not very good
P.S. I found your blog whilst searching for urban green growing and I love it! I write for the Our Everyday Earth Green Blog and wondered if you would like to add us to your Environmental Blogroll?
October 13, 2009 at 1:03 pm
OpenKitchenConcept
Ah… looks so nice! I really think that it is very satisfying to grow one’s own dinner..